HOUSTON (AP) — Kamala Harris and Beyoncé ignited a Houston rally with a double-barreled argument against Donald Trump on Friday, with the superstar telling the Democratic nominee’s biggest crowd ever that it was “time to sing a new song” as Harris warned that her GOP opponent was dead set on further eroding women’s rights.
The rally was set in reliably Republican Texas, to highlight the growing medical fallout from the state’s strict abortion ban, but the message was intended to register in the political battleground states, where Harris is hoping that the aftereffects from the fall of Roe v. Wade will spur voters to turn out to support her quest for the presidency.
“For all the men and women in this room, and watching around the country, we need you,” Beyoncé said in a rare political appearance. The megastar's speech was lofty, joyful and optimistic — a temper to the seriousness of the topic and of the message Harris was there to bring.
“I’m here as a mother, a mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in," Beyoncé said. "A world where we have freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided.”
Harris came out to huge cheers. She told the crowd that Trump had erased half a century of hard-fought progress when he appointed the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe and touched off a growing healthcare crisis.
She listed off downstream effects she sees from various bans. Women who never intended to end a pregnancy are suffering devastating complications when they can't get care. They have fewer options, and fewer medical students are choosing to specialize in women’s health.
“For anyone watching from another state, if you think you are protected from Trump abortion bans because you live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, California, or any state where voters or legislators have protected reproductive freedom, please know: No one is protected,” Harris warned. “Because a Donald Trump national ban will outlaw abortion in every single state.”
“All that to say, elections matter,” she said.
Trump has been inconsistent in his message to voters on abortion and reproductive rights, though he’s said he’d veto a national abortion ban. He has repeatedly shifted his stance and offered vague, contradictory and at times nonsensical answers to questions on an issue that has become a major vulnerability for Republicans in this year’s election.
Trump was also in Texas Friday, where he predicted he’d break records for the number of people deported from the United States if he wins the election. He taped a podcast with Joe Rogan before heading to a rally in Traverse City, Michigan, where he took the stage three hours late.
Harris was joined at the rally by women who have nearly died from sepsis and other pregnancy complications because they were unable to get proper medical care. Some of them have already been out campaigning for Harris and others have told their harrowing tales in campaign ads that seek to show how the issue has ballooned into something far bigger than the right to end an unwanted pregnancy.
Since abortion was restricted in Texas, the state’s infant death rate has increased, more babies have died of birth defects and maternal mortality has risen.
The crowd waited for hours, wearing flashing red, white and blue LED bracelets as “trust women” and “freedom” flashed on big screens between acts.
“Sometimes they forget about us because we’re a Republican state,” Rhonda Johnson, who has been living in Houston for 19 years, said. “But I’m glad she’s here.”
Reproductive rights, the economy and LGBTQ issues were key reasons for Yannick Djomatchoua in his decision to support Harris and wait in the hours-long line to see her. “It’s very personal,” he said, adding that he knew friends who had to make difficult decisions due to the state’s abortion restrictions.
Harris’ campaign has taken on Beyoncé’s 2016 track “Freedom” as its anthem, and the message dovetails with the vice president's emphasis on reproductive freedom. Beyoncé was joined by her mother, Tina Knowles, and her former bandmate Kelly Rowland, who all spoke about Harris' historic candidacy and a dream of a more united nation.
“Our voices sing a chorus of unity,” Beyoncé said. “They sing a song of dignity and opportunity — are y'all ready?”
Harris was also joined by country legend Willie Nelson, who sang some of his greatest hits, including “On the Road Again."
"Hey, how are y’all doing?” the 91-year-old Nelson asked the crowd. “Are we ready to say Madam President?”
Increasingly, in 14 states with strict abortion bans, women cannot get medical care until their condition has become life-threatening. In some states, doctors can face criminal charges if they provide medical care.
Democrats warn that a winnowing of rights and freedoms will only continue if Trump is elected. Republican lawmakers in states across the U.S. have been rejecting Democrats’ efforts to protect or expand access to birth control, for example.
“In America, freedom is not to be given. It is not to be bestowed. It is ours. By right. And that includes the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have the government telling her what to do,” Harris said.
There is some evidence to suggest that abortion rights may drive women to the polls as it did during the 2022 midterm elections. Voters in seven states, including some conservative ones, have either protected abortion rights or defeated attempts to restrict them in statewide votes over the past two years.
About 6 in 10 Americans think their state should generally allow a person to obtain a legal abortion if they don’t want to be pregnant for any reason, according to a July poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Democrats also hope Harris' visit will give a boost to Rep. Colin Allred, who is making a longshot bid to unseat Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred said Friday that if you vote to overturn a woman's constitutional right, as Cruz did, then you should lose your job.
Texas encapsulates the post-Roe landscape. Its strict abortion ban prohibits physicians from performing abortions once cardiac activity is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks or before.
As a result, women are increasingly suffering worse medical care. That's in part because doctors cannot intervene unless a woman is facing a life-threatening condition, or to prevent “substantial impairment of major bodily function.”
“Texas’ abortion bans unleashed by Donald Trump almost cost me my life and have left me with physical and emotional scars,” said Ondrea Cummings, who lost her 16-week baby and nearly died from sepsis when she couldn't get care fast enough.
“I never thought I would have this type of personal experience. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”
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Long reported from Washington.
Darlene Superville, Colleen Long And Nadia Lathan, The Associated Press